Yanagawa impresses on World Superbike return.

Kawasaki wild card rider, Akira Yanagawa, proved that he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to racing a Superbike at Sugo this on Sunday. The former Fuchs Kawasaki rider scored two sixth place finishes aboard his factory ZX-7RR, finishing both races as the top four-cylinder rider.

'I've really enjoyed myself this weekend,' declared Yanagawa. 'It's good to come back to World Superbikes and score two good results, and to finish as the top four-cylinder rider in both races. I opted for a harder rear tyre for the second race, and that was a good decision. My average lap time was a lot better and I was still able to turn in 1'29s laps at the end of the race, which helped me catch Ben Bostrom in the last couple of laps. Overall, the weekend has been a lot of fun.'

Regular Fuchs Kawasaki rider, Chris Walker, ended the day with an eleventh place in race one and a thirteenth place in race two. Although disappointed to be outside the top ten for the first time this season, the 30-year-old British rider took consolation in the fact that his lap times are fast approaching those of the regular front runners in the series.

'I'm happy with the way I rode today, even if the results weren't exactly what I was hoping for,' said Walker. 'I've been aiming for top ten finishes in every race and although I didn't manage that today, if you take the wild card riders out of the equation, the results aren't too bad. I had a good race two, battling with the boys, but a couple of slides in the closing stages allowed them to get past and there just wasn't time to fight back. Overall, not a bad weekend for me.'

Riding in a World Superbike round, in a foreign country and on a different bike to the one he normally races in the AMA Superbike series, must have been a daunting prospect for Eric Bostrom. However, the reigning AMA Supersport 600 Champion didn't seem at all fazed during today's two 25-lap Superbike races; bringing his Kawasaki ZX-7RR home in thirteenth place in race one and fourteenth in race two.

'I can't be too disappointed with how things have gone this weekend,' said Bostrom. 'No, in fact I am a little disappointed really. I'd have liked to have got up there and mixed it up with the guys at the front, but the competition was stiff and they were all riding really well. I've had fun, learnt a lot and it's certainly given me a taste for more. There's a possibility we'll also compete in the next round at Monza, which would be real good, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see if that comes off.'